"Anik! Get off of your sister! Leave her alone!" My father yelled as he pulled me off of my twin. "Oh, Sakari, it's you." He chuckled as he sat me down. "My little fighter, leave your brother alone, he has to go to his water bending lesson."
"Dad, why can't I go too?" I asked as he patted my hair, ruffling the already long braid.
"My young warrior, I would love it if you could learn but you are not allowed to fight."
"Well, that's a dumb rule!"
"I know, but tribal tradition states you learn to heal, and tradition is important." He said softly. "Now go see your mother so she can get you ready for your healing lesson."
"Fine." I sighed as I trudged off. Looking back, I saw Anik waving to me as he left. As I waved back, I entered our home. My mother looked up as I entered, walking over to me to help me brush the snow off my parka.
"Hello Sakari, are you ready for your lesson?" She smiled as she cupped my cheek.
"Momma, I wanna learn to fight like Anik!' I said stubbornly. "I can't heal people, even Yugoda says so!"
"She does not, she said you're coming along very well." My mother said, laughing as I stuck out my tongue. "Now, come along." I begrudgingly took my mother's hand.
Later that night, I stared out the window, my eyes glued to the moon. "Sakari?" My twin brother piped up as he walked over to join me. "What's the matter?"
"I wish I was like you. You get to learn to fight, and everyone loves watching you bend. You're so good at it and I can barely move a puddle." I sighed as he pushed my shoulder, waiting for me to continue. "I want to be good at water bending. I want to fight."
"Well, we're twins. Everyone's always calling me by your name and you by my name."
"I know Anik." I sighed. "It's annoying."
"But what if we switched. Even Mom and Dad have trouble telling us apart, so we'd be the only ones who know. I've already taught you what I know and you taught me how to heal. So why don't we try it tomorrow?" He grinned as I nodded.
"Okay, but I make no promises of how good I'll be!"
Eleven long years later, I was wearing my uncle's old parka and sea prune paste to disguise my feminine features. Anik and had managed to switch places. And it somehow worked. I grinned as I readied myself for sparring. While I wasn't a prodigy like my brother, I worked hard to get where I was.
I took a deep breath and positioned my hands so I could fight my opponent.
"Pupil Anik and pupil Aklaq, begin!" Master Pakku said sharply as I grinned. Moving the water just so, I was able to offset Aklaq's movements as he raced towards me. As I moved away, I created a wall of water between myself and my opponent. As the match drew on, I was tired. Refocusing my energy, I was about to knock Aklaq over when everything stopped. A light was glowing brightly over the temple of the Avatar.
He had returned.
